Graveside Service

Last Saturday was my grandpa's graveside service. It was short and simple as he requested but beautiful. He is buried next to my great grandparents and is in a beautiful spot, near the mountains. Quite a few family members came that I hadn't expected to see. I was happy to see my grandpa's brother, my great uncle Jay. He's in his late 80s and his health isn't good, but it was wonderful to see him. I've always loved him. Several of my dad's cousins came as well as all of my grandparents' children except one. I am certain that had the service been held in Arizona (where my grandparents lived for about 50 years) then many more people would have been there to honor my grandpa.


My grandpa has always loved bagpipe music and played the bagpipes, at least a little. So there was a bagpipe player there, and that brought tears to my eyes. My aunt Julia said the opening prayer, my dad's Bishop said a few words, my uncle Tom gave the dedicatory prayer and my uncle Dan said the closing prayer. Then my grandfather received his full military honors, including having Neil Bills play Taps and present the flag. In the program, a few words penned by my grandpa were included. He wrote:


"And now the end is near,
and soon I'll face the final curtain.
To make things very clear,
I will state my case of which I'm certain.
I've lived a life that's full,
I've traveled many highways and byways.
But more, much more than this,
I tried to do it His way.


Regrets I have a few and some
sins that I won't mention.
I did what I thought I had to do
and carried through without exemption.
I faced my foes and took their blows
and tried to forgive the way the Savior shows.
And through it all, I tried to stand tall,
and do it His way."

--Reed Gordon Bills


I can think of no tribute more fitting for my grandpa than his own words. He, of course, wasn't perfect, but he was truly one of the greatest men I have ever known. And he did forgive others, love others, serve, and try to do it His way, to emulate the Savior's example.

After the graveside service, we had a small luncheon at my Uncle Dan and Aunt Suzanne's church. Several people had brought memorabilia.... his honorable discharge from the military, wedding certificate, photos, and so on. Several aunts, uncles and cousins shared their memories and thoughts.

I don't want to forget his jokes about the brick and the dog...and so I'm going to type it here. I just want to say that the delivery really matters (and as my aunt Julia said, perhaps you have to be a Bills to find it funny.) But, it is something I don't want forgotten. So here it is. A long time ago, there was a man who wanted a large building built. He found someone to hire to build the building with a thousand bricks. The agreement was that he must use every brick to build the building and if he did, he would earn a large sum of money. So day after day, the man worked on constructing the building. When it was finally complete, one brick was missing. So the man didn't earn a penny.


Second joke. Once there was a lady on a train. She had her dog traveling with her. She loved her dog. She carried him in her lap and lovingly petted him. Sitting next to her was a man with a cigar. He smoked and smoked and it made the woman cough and bothered her dog. She politely asked the man to stop smoking. He refused. She replied that it was bothering her and her precious dog. Then she grabbed the cigar and threw it out the train window. The man grabbed her dog and threw it out the train window. Outraged and worried, the woman pulled the cord to stop the train. The conductor came rushing down to see what was the matter. She said the man had thrown her dog out the window and the man yelled that she'd thrown his cigar out the window. The train stopped and they got off the train to look for the dog. The dog came running toward the woman and what do you think he had in his mouth?


(pause)....the brick! :) This always elicits a laugh from those of us lucky enough to hear my grandpa tell it.

My aunt Julia read a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: SUCCESS

To laugh often and much
to win the respect of intelligent people
and affection of children; to earn the
appreciation of honest critics and
endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty, to find the best
in others; to leave the world a bit
better, whether by a healthy child
a garden patch or redeemed
social condition; to know even
one life has breathed easier because
you have lived. This is to have
succeeded.


-Ralph Waldo Emerson

She concluded by saying that far more than one person has breathed easier because he lived. That quote really describes him so well. My uncle Bruce shared some memories of the copper mine near Vernal that they had years ago...when they were young. He also said that he remembers my grandpa saying something like we eat when it is time to eat, we rest when it is time to rest and we work the rest of the time. And he lived by that. He worked hard. He was injured in WWII and was in pain throughout most of his life, but that didn't cause him to slow down nor did it lead him to complain.

I am so grateful that my life was touched by his in countless ways. I love him so much and I am so grateful that he doesn't have to suffer any more. I am grateful that he is reunited with loved ones that have already departed this life. I am grateful for the knowledge that I will see him again. I just have to live my life so that I will be worthy of that priviledge.